THE SPIDER. 105 



ARACHNID INSECTS. 

 THE SPIDER. 



Haunts. This much-maligned insect is a very inter- 

 esting one when we come to study its habits and the won- 

 derful silken web it spins. Because it bites sometimes 

 in self-defense, and because it sometimes spins its web 

 where a web is not wanted, it is very generally hated. 

 But its bite is seldom serious to human 

 flesh, and may be avoided by simply 

 avoiding handling the live spider. 

 And its web (out of doors) is a thing 

 of beauty. 



No one needs to be told where to 

 find spiders in warm weather, for they 

 are everywhere abundant. The largest 

 ones are best for a first examination. 

 The spiders which spin their rich geo- 



j_ 1 i , i . -, SPIDER (Semidiaerram- 



metncal webs in the spaces in garden matic) . a> abd o me n; 

 fences or in tangled shrubbery, or the c cepnaiothorax ; p, 

 ones which spin their calla-shaped 

 webs on the ground, spreading the free border out over 

 the grass at the edge of a sidewalk or beside the founda- 

 tions of buildings, or the fleet-footed spiders common in 



should be written of the genus, stating all the points of structure, haunts, 

 habits, economy, and development, which all its local species have in 

 common. This should be concluded with descriptions of each of the 

 species, for which the following outline is suggested : 

 I. Names (scientific, common) . 

 II. Measurements (length, extent of wings, etc.). 



III. Structure (points not already stated in the account of the genus). 



IV. Coloration (a detailed description). 

 V. Haunts and habits. 



VI. Preparatory stages (a full account). There is yet room for pioneer 



work in this line. 

 VII. Economic importance of the species. 



